Monthly Archives: May 2014

EDITOR’S NOTE: The late Cindy Thigpen wrote this history shortly before her death in 2013, and presented it to The Manning Times for use in this publication. It is reprinted here, edited only for style and grammar.
Located at the intersection of U.S. 301 and 378, the town of Turbeville lies in the northeast corner of Clarendon County. Clarendon County was named after the first Earl of Clarendon, Earl Hyde. He was one of the eight Lord Proprietors of the Province of Carolina, and a cousin to King Charles III.
Clarendon County was established in 1855, formed out of the… Read the rest

Though he grew up in Florence, Dwight Stewart has adopted Summerton as his home.
He chose Manning for his business, Dwight L. Stewart Jr. and Associates LLC, a forest management firm that handles properties for income, hunting or almost any objective one can think of, Stewart said.
“With trees being South Carolina’s No. 1 valued agricultural crop, it is important that landowners manage their timber properly in order to realize the full potential of their investment,” Stewart said. “Whether you own five acres or 50,000, we can help you.”
Stewart founded the business on his own after working as a… Read the rest

Clarendon Memorial Hospital
Clarendon Memorial Hospital has a bright future, according to the chief executive officer of the company that owns it.
“Not only do I see Clarendon Memorial as having a bright future, but I see Clarendon as a leading community healthcare provider in South Carolina,” said Clarendon Health System CEO Richard Stokes. “When I look at our future, I think we’re going to shift our focus to more out-patient rather than in-patient procedures.”
“Clarendon Memorial today won’t be the same Clarendon Memorial in 10 years, as far as how we provide services,” Stokes said. “Services are swiftly moving… Read the rest

Husbands and wives frequently work side-by-side in their day jobs.
Many own businesses together. But few are quite like Wilbert and Ethel Lemon.
The couple has operated their separate businesses side-by-side for a little more than 50 years. Wilbert is the owner of Lemon’s TV Repair and Ethel is the owner of Ethel’s Beauty-a-rama.
“We opened in 1964, somewhere around April,” Wilbert said. “I went to an area trade school in Denmark, and my wife studied (cosmetology). We came back home and set up our businesses right next to each other.”
Today, Wilbert works primarily on TVs, but he also… Read the rest

1985 was a good year for Terry Richburg.
He had opened a convenience store three years earlier, but was approached by Burgess Sprott when the Haleys decided they could no longer run the Exxon station due to health reasons.
“Things just seemed to fall into place and have pretty much been the same since then,” the Clarendon County native said.
Born and raised in Manning, Richburg holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of South Carolina and finds it rewarding to see happy customers while acknowledging today’s business climate provides many challenges.
“Basically the toughest aspect (of running… Read the rest

Jerry and Linda Strickland have owned T&W Metals at 224 Memorial St. in Manning for about seven years.
But Jerry was always into the scrap metal business.
“I’ve been in it all my life,” he said. “I started when I was probably 15 years old. And until we did this as a business, I would just work a job and do scrap metal on the side.”
Jerry said he and his wife buy all types of scrap metal, although the couple does not deal with hazardous materials.
“We don’t buy TVs or food cans or propane tanks,” Jerry said. “I… Read the rest

Officials at the Clarendon County Detention Center say a 26-year-old Summerton man currently facing two charges of attempted murder for a Davis Station shooting on Wednesday night could face even more charges this weekend.
Marco Javon Johnson, whose last known address was on Wash Davis Road in Summerton, turned himself in late Thursday afternoon after a daylong manhunt. Two men were shot at Dameon’s, a nightclub in Davis Station, shortly before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. One shot in the face and chest is recovering in a Florence hospital.
Officials were unsure Saturday morning when Johnson might appear before a county magistrate… Read the rest

Harristeen Lemon-Bozier
BALTIMORE, Md. – Harristeen Lemon-Bozier, widow of Roosevelt “Roosie” Bozier, died Thursday, May 22, 2014, at her home in Baltimore.
Born Aug. 8, 1921, in Summerton, she was a daughter of the late Charleton and Lurena Jones Lemon. Known by the nickname “Dutin,” she attended Mt. Zion schools and received her high school diploma. She furthered her education and attended Morris College in Sumter. She was a faithful member of Historic Santee AME Church in Summerton and served as Mother of the Church and with the Stewardess Board, the Women’s Missionary Society and as a Sunday school teach… Read the rest

Stan and Jason Brown opened the doors of their namesake business, Brown’s Furniture, on Oct. 15, 2003.
Ensuring customers get a good value for their dollar was one of the primary reasons the Browns ventured into the furniture industry.
“We felt as though by going into business for ourselves, we would be more in control of the quality of our products and being certain our customers receive the first rate service they deserve,” Stan Brown said.
The Sumter natives feel like being part of the local business community is very rewarding.
“But it’s also a lot of responsibility,” he said.… Read the rest

Open since April 17, 2013, Red’s Place is “always looking for ways to improve,” said Erin Oliver.
“We want to always provide a good, clean, fun atmosphere with top-notch food for years to come,” she said. “We have truly been overwhelmed with the following and support we have received in just our first year.”
Though open just a year, construction began at 6322 M.W. Rickenbaker Road in Summerton in November 2012. Patrick Oliver opened the establishment with the help of his dad, Tim Oliver. Red’s is definitely a family-run business
“We have always had a passion for cooking good food,”… Read the rest

Loretta “Ret” Gamble Rose
TURBEVILLE — Loretta “Ret” Gamble Rose, 65, wife of LeVern Rose, died Tuesday, May 27, 2014, at McLeod Hospice House in Florence.
Born Oct. 2, 1948, in Turbeville, she was a daughter of the late Roy and Lillian Wells Gamble. She attended Clarendon School District 3 schools. She also studied briefly at Voorhees College, receiving an associate’s degree from Sumter Technical College. For more than 30 years, she dedicated her life to working with the children in her district, her neighborhood and her church.
In her youth, she joined Mt. Sinai AME Church. Later, she joined… Read the rest

The S.C. Highway Patrol reported Friday afternoon that an elderly man injured in a vehicle wreck on Alex Harvin Highway in Manning early Thursday afternoon is recovering in a Columbia hospital.
The man was driving a 2013 Ford Taurus and was hit from behind by a truck of unknown make and model. The truck’s driver was ticketed for “driving too fast for conditions.”
Lance Cpl. David Jones said the elderly man, whose identity was not disclosed, is recovering at Palmetto Health Richland with non-life threatening injuries.

The Clarendon County GOP will hold a special meeting 7 p.m. today at Cornerstone Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church, 2116 Greeleyville Highway in Manning. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and dinner provided by ladies of the church will be served at 6:30 p.m. Donations are accepted to help the ladies with the costs for these meals. Childcare is also provided for young ones.
Speakers will include S.C. Adj. Gen. Bob Livingston; S.C. Comptroller Gen. Richard Eckstrom; Lt. Governor candidates Pat McKinney and Mike Campbell; Superintendent of Education candidates Gary Burgess and Meka Childs; 6th District Congressional candidate Leon Winn;… Read the rest

Helen Metropol Katsos
Helen Metropol Katsos, 92 ,widow of John Katsos, died Thursday, May 29, 2014.
Born in 1922 in the Metropol family home on Brooks Street, she was the eldest daughter of Greek immigrants Jack and Jennie Metropol. She was known by many titles, including Mom, Yiayia, Thea Eleni and Miss Helen, just to name a few.
She was a lifelong member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia. Everyone knew Miss Helen: She was the face that greeted you at the Central Coffee Shop in Manning with a cup of coffee, alongside her brothers, who ran the… Read the rest

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Manning Times will be posting stories from its first Progress Edition throughout the next several days.
Susie Gibson worked for many years with other florists before opening Gibson Floral Cart in 1991. These days, she operates the business with her son, Derek, who does balloon art, designs and arrangements at the business.
“I felt I was experienced enough in flowers to go and start my own business in 1991,” Susie Gibson said. “For many years I worked with a florist. It helped me gain a lot of knowledge about the floral industry.”
Gibson Floral Cart was not… Read the rest

A hard rain fell.
According to Jeff Linton, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Columbia, rain totals varied from 1 to 4 inches for the 24 hour period ending at 7 a.m. today, with most of the rain falling during last night’s inundation. About 3.3 miles northwest of Manning, 3.53 inches of rain fell; about 8.2 miles south of Manning, 3 inches were recorded; Summerton saw 2.4 inches of rain.
The Winters Hill Road area totaled 2.7 inches and the Live Oak area saw 5 inches of rain.
Today’s forecast calls for a slight chance of showers and… Read the rest

Five Clarendon County natives have been named to Clemson University’s Spring 2014 Dean’s List. To be eligible, students must achieve between a 3.5 and 3.99 GPA.
Students named to the list included Mary Margaret Brown of Alcolu; Reena Gonzales Garma of Manning; Mary Katelyn Carlisle of Pinewood; Roy Edwin Belser Jr. of Summerton; and Caroline Elizabeth Weaver of Turbeville. Brown is majoring in civil engineering; Garma is majoring in nursing; Carlisle is majoring in biological sciences; Belser is majoring in wildlife and fisheries biology; and Weaver is majoring in graphic communications.

Three Clarendon County natives have been named to the Clemson University Spring 2014 President’s List.
Stephen Lewis Patrick of Gable, Kelsey Ann Carlisle of Pinewood and Whitney Renea Thigpen of Turbeville all achieved a 4.0 GPA to be named to the list. Patrick is majoring in biochemistry; Carlisle is majoring in biological science; and Thigpen is majoring in health sciences.

Mary Margaret McCaskill is looking for a few students interested in 4-H and Clemson Extension this summer. Pictured are just some of the activities the organization offers. For more information, call McCaskill at (803) 435-8429, or email her at mcrae2@clemson.edu.